


be right back. v2

by Dame_Dulces



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Assisted Suicide, Canonical Character Death, Death, Depression, Dirty Jokes, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Iruma Miu's Dirty Mouth, Kiibouma, M/M, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22551001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dame_Dulces/pseuds/Dame_Dulces
Summary: When his beloved passes away, Ouma resigns himself to his lonely fate. However, that changes when Iruma finds a way to reunite him with the one he lost.
Relationships: K1-B0 & Oma Kokichi, K1-B0/Oma Kokichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79





	be right back. v2

**Author's Note:**

> hello, it's been a while since i've written for fandom, so apologies if i'm a bit rusty! i've had this idea on the backburner for a year or so. it was inspired directly by season 2 episode 1 of black mirror. i wasn't satisfied with that ending so i changed it up and altered it to fit kiibouma. please note this work of fiction deals heavily with death, grief, loss, depression, and suicidal thoughts, so please don't read if those are highly triggering for you. with that said, please enjoy and thank you for reading!

“Ouma?”

A subtle knock at the bedroom door awoke him. Bloodshot eyes peered out through a sliver of light from underneath three weeks worth of unwashed blankets. Blurry at first, the image of a familiar girl sharpened once he had blinked the residual tears away.

He rose, careful not to touch the body-shaped indent in the mattress next to him. Every bone in his body seemed to crack. Not a surprise after laying dormant for god knows how long. His episodes seemed to be getting longer and longer as each day passed. Not that he cared much. Time melted and swished across his perception like smeared paint over a canvas. There had been no point keeping track of it lately.

At least, not until Iruma had stormed in.

“Jesus, Ouma. When’s the last time you showered? You smell like a construction worker’s smegma.”

Ouma shrugged, rubbing his irritated eyes so hard he began to see static. Too dazed to come back with a snarky retort to her disgusting comparison.

Iruma looked around the room with a scrunched nose, full of judgement. Empty plastic cups with grape-colored residue on the bottom lined the nightstand beside his bed. Crumpled tissues littered the floor and almost covered the oatmeal colored carpet. A pile of laundry in the corner stared back at the young inventor, begging to be thrown in the wash.

“I’m calling Tojo,” Iruma stated firmly. “Even rats like you can’t live like this.”

“No,” Ouma croaked. His own voice felt foreign to him. When was the last time he had spoken out loud, to a real person? 

“No,” he repeated. “She’ll throw everything away.”

She gave him a defeated look of rue. God, he hated that. It wasn’t like her. It’d been months since she’d called him a failed abortion or made some crude remark about the size of his shaft. He’d rather get the old Iruma treatment than this pity party she was throwing for him.

“Come on. Get your ass up, he’s here.”

“He? Who is 'he'.”

“Go see for yourself, dummy.”

Her posture and tone suggested that a refusal was out of the question. With a half hearted groan, Ouma swung his two legs over the edge and forced himself to stand. It felt like his limbs were made of concrete. He trudged past the tear-soaked tissues and the occasional misplaced sock and made his way to the living room to see what the hell Iruma was going on about.

~~~

“It’s not perfect. But it comes pretty damn close to the real thing… don’t ya think?”

Lilac irises widened at the sight before him. She was right; the android in question was eerily similar. Almost like a clone. At least, it would’ve been if not for a few things.

Like the glowing blue light coming from its eyes.

And the thick, dark lines that ran vertically down its alabaster cheeks.

And the cold, metallic plates that lined its chest and all four limbs.

The serial on the back of its neck took away any remaining hint of humanity. Bold, black letters that read “K1-B0”.

“It looks nothing like him,” Ouma spat disdainfully, his face contorted in a wicked sneer.

“What were you expecting, a carbon copy?” There was a hint of impatience in her voice. Good, maybe he could instigate some good old fashioned banter. Finally.

“It’s way shorter than Iida-chan,” the purple-haired boy continued his lament. “And it’s got white hair. Iida was ash blonde.”

“You’re focusing too much on the appearance,” she retorted. “It’s the internal functions that matter.”

Ouma scoffed.

“Internal… I bet it doesn’t even have a dick… what good is a stupid robot if it can’t even-”

“I find that to be very offensive and robophobic, Kichi-kun.”

_ Kichi-kun _ . A name he thought he’d never hear again, and in a voice that should have been long gone. The former supreme leader froze in place. An icy chill ran through his veins. 

“What… what… did you just…?”

The android made soft whirring sounds, turning to face the shorter man before him. His neutral expression shifted to one of indignation.

“My purpose is not simply for sexual gratification. I have numerous functions. I would appreciate if you didn’t reduce me to a common sex bot.”

Ouma opened his mouth to speak but was promptly cut off by the rambling machine.

“Also, I’m not an ‘it’. How rude. Please use he/him pronouns when you regard me.”

Iruma snorted in a failed attempt to hold back laughter. Ouma rolled his tired eyes.

“He sounds just like Iidabashi!” She exclaimed with a cackle. “Oh, Jesus! It’s been so long…”

She trailed off. He ignored her. 

“I hate it already. Take it back.”

“ _ Him _ . I’m a him, please.”

“He, it, don’t care, don’t want it.”

Iruma snapped out of her ramble. She slammed her palms on the coffee table, furrowing her brows so tightly it was impossible to distinguish between the two.

“Okay, fuck this. Do you know what the hell I had to go through to get this model!?”

“I don’t feel like listening to your dick-sucking escapades right now. Please spare me.”

“Fuck  _ off _ you little failed abortion!”

“Whassa matter? Knees still hurt from the carpet burn last night?”

“I’m gonna wring your scrawny little neck…”

Their bickering came to an abrupt end thanks to the sound of soft chuckles. The two of them snapped around to face the android, who was doing his best to conceal his snickering. The corners of Ouma’s mouth turned downwards in a deep frown.

“What’s so funny, Astro Boy?”

“Heh heh… nothing… it’s just, nice to see you two getting along so well again.”

Ouma raised an eyebrow. “Again…?”

Iruma used the change in tone to rally for her cause once more.

“Ouma. Just try it out for a few days. This isn’t some half baked rim job or whatever. It’s Iida’s literal AI. The professor and I worked our asses off trying to get the settings and personality just right... it’s the closest thing we have to having him back…”

She turned away as her voice trailed off, her aggressive demeanor slowly melting away. She clutched her arms - was she shaking? - and it suddenly dawned on Ouma that he wasn’t the only one grieving. 

“Alright, alright… just stop with the concerned friend charade,” he sighed in defeat. “It’s not very fitting for a harlot like you.”

Expecting an impassioned rebuttal, he instead got a weak half smile. Iruma looked to the ground, and he swore he could hear her mumble something about coming back to life, but he ignored it.

“Alright. Call me if you need anything then, I guess.”

“Sure.”

She left, and the two were now alone.

  
  


~~~

  
  


“Kichi-kun. Aren’t you coming to bed?”

The robot peered out from around the corner, staring intently at the stack of pillows and blankets Ouma had piled on top of himself. He waited patiently for an answer, but all he got in response was a flurry of labored breaths. 

“Kichi-kun?”

“Don’t call me that,” a muffled voice responded. “It’s Ouma. And bold of you to assume I’d share a bed with some glorified fuckbot.”

“There’s no need for such obscenities. A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.”

“Eat me.”

Despite the tinge of annoyance in his tone, K1-B0’s expression remained unchanged. Without another word, he turned around and shuffled into the bedroom. The sound of metallic clinking echoed through the hallways. He turned off the hallway light and shut the door.

Ouma squeezed his eyes shut, yet sleep didn’t come. His bones felt tired and heavy. Moving seemed like too much effort.

Until he thought about K1-B0 sleeping on his bed. 

_Their_ bed.

“... HEY!”

He threw the bedding off himself in one swift move, bouncing off the couch at a speed that almost caused him pain. He bolted down the hallway, swinging the bedroom door open so fast he almost made a dent in the adjacent wall.

His blood boiled as soon as he laid eyes on the scene before him.

“Ouma? What’s the-”

“Move! Get off right now!”

Heat surged through his face and neck as his heart rushed to pump blood through his weak, thinning body. It felt like fireballs had replaced his eyes. His vision blurred, the neon blues and wispy ivories of the robot blending together in a nasty contorted image that only served to fuel his rage.

“You seem very angry. What’s wrong?”

“ _ Get off!!!! _ ”

Despite the adrenaline rushing through him, Ouma was able to enforce little power over the metallic creature. The long months he’d spent wasting away had done little for the strength of his muscles. K1-B0 barely moved an inch even though he was putting all his weight against him. Crying, kicking, screaming incoherently in a language only the grieving could understand. He tired out quickly, resigning himself to a fetal position on the open side of the bed. He curled his legs into his chest, burying his face inside as he sobbed inconsolably.

The android, still dumbfounded by the scene that had just unfolded, placed a gentle hand on his back. His eyes focused on the tuft of oily purple hair that hid Ouma’s disheveled face.

“Ouma… what’s wrong? Please, talk to me…”

The former leader whimpered at the tender touch, his chest still heaving and heavy with pain.

“It’s Iida’s spot… I left it... it’s his spot...”

K1-B0 looked down at the human-shaped indent on the mattress beneath him. It wasn’t difficult to put two and two together. He rubbed small circles into Ouma’s back, sitting there with him until his breathing became steady again. He spoke again when he appeared to be calm.

“I’m so sorry, Ouma. I wasn’t thinking. Please forgive me for my ignorance.”

The two of them stayed together, the young man held close by the humanoid bot, until his tears dried and his sorrow lulled him to sleep.

  
  


~~~

  
  


_ “Go figure. I finally found my soulmate and he dies on me. How dull.” _

_ “I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I looked down at my phone for one second, and then-” _

_ “You should be sorry. Now I’m gonna die alone and loveless.” _

_ “Kichi-kun…” _

_ “Just kidding. I’m sure I’ll find some other strapping young lad to dick me down one of these days.” _

_ “Oh… well, alright then… if it’ll make you happy…” _

_ “... Nah… actually that sounds boring. No one would compare to you, anyway…” _

_ “Really?” _

_ “Mhm. And that’s no lie!” _

_ “Thank you, Kichi… that makes me feel so much better.” _

_ “You made me believe, you know.” _

_ “Believe what?” _

_ “... Nevermind, it’s stupid.” _

_ “Tell me. I want to know.” _

_ “...You made me believe in love. That I deserved it. And that I could be happy with someone else.” _

_ “Kichi-kun… you still can…” _

_ “No, I can’t. Not without you.” _

  
  


_ ~~~ _

  
  


The scent of breakfast wafted in from the kitchen, waking Ouma from his fitful slumber.

It took a few seconds to open his eyes, which were still swollen and crusty from his outburst the night before, and they promptly shut again when the bright light of morning greeted him from the bedroom window. He groaned, turning over with his arms above his head and refused to move for several more minutes. However, he wasn’t fated to stay there long with the grumbling of his empty stomach moaning every time he caught a whiff of the bacon frying just outside his door.

Finally, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked down at his shirt, the same one he’d been wearing for the past five days or so, and the stains that soiled his pants, which he couldn’t remember for the life of him when he’d first put them up.

He stood up and changed into the last two items of clothing he was certain were clean: a white T shirt and purple shorts.

Making his way into the living room, he nearly jumped when he saw the robot imposter standing at the stove, his back turned to Ouma and humming a tune the former leader swore he’d heard before.

He’d almost forgotten he was here.

Rage bubbled in his chest, but when the bot turned around and gave him a half smile he felt himself cool down. Just a little bit.

“Good morning, Ouma,” he said cheerfully. “Are you hungry?”

Ouma nodded, plopping himself down on a chair next to the tiny table he used to share with Iida. K1-B0 placed a plate in front of him full to the edges with bacon, eggs, and perfectly crisp hash browns.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Please, eat as much as you’d like. I made plenty.”

Ouma said nothing. He pushed the food around with a fork for quite some time before taking a bite. As soon as the flavor met his lips, he found himself unable to stop. He practically shoveled all three into his mouth, failing to realize how famished he was after going god knows how long without eating.

K1-B0 smiled as he watched.

“When’s the last time you ate, Ouma-chan?”

The violet-haired boy shrugged, burping unceremoniously when his plate was empty.

“Iida was a much better cook,” he lied, waiting to see how the bot would react. “This was subpar compared to what he used to make.”

“Well, tell me what you’d prefer. I’ll use my database of recipes to see if I can make it to your standards.”

Ouma scoffed, muttering something that was most likely robophobic under his breath. K1-B0 chose to ignore it.

“Anyway, I think today we should tidy up the apartment a bit. I noticed you don’t have any clean clothes, and some of the dishware is starting to grow mold.”

“ _ We? _ ”

“Yes, we. That’s the correct pronoun to use in this situation, since you and I will both be doing our part. Lying around all day isn’t good for your physical and mental health.”

As he spoke, K1-B0 walked around the room and pulled aside the curtains. Fresh sunlight poured into the room, then the sound of birds chirping after the robot opened the windows. The breeze from outside was a nice change from the musty, stuffed odor to which Ouma had grown accustomed.

At last, his lilac eyes raised to meet K1-B0’s. He expected to see cold indifference reflected in the artificial light, but what he saw instead was… warmth. Compassion. 

And not a trace of pity.

“Fine,” Ouma grunted, grabbing his plate to throw it in the sink. He pushed past the bot and made his way around the room, picking up the empty glasses and half filled Panta cans.

Today was a new day.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Life went on peacefully for the unlikely duo for several weeks.

Every morning was the same. Ouma would wake up to a home cooked breakfast, a slightly different array of fruit and vegetables each morning, eat until he felt like he was going to throw up, then clean up any messes left over from the night before.

His laundry was always cleaned and ironed. No longer tossed carelessly on the carpet or the furniture, he had new clothes to wear every day and didn’t go weeks without underwear. Partly due to K1-B0’s nagging, and mostly due to his own disgust. His skin cleared up in just a few days once he got back into the habit of washing his face again. He could finally look in the mirror and recognize himself again.

He went outside at least every other day. Sometimes alone, sometimes with K1-B0. When they walked, they’d trek into the nearby woods or visit the botanical garden that was a few blocks down from where they lived. 

Sometimes they talked. Sometimes there was only silence. 

Iida’s name was rarely mentioned, except when Ouma made snide comments about K1-B0’s lack of humanity or awkward vocalizations. The robot seldom took offence, except when he was explicitly robophobic. 

Iruma visited from time to time, dropping in to make sure her old high school classmate hadn’t destroyed her most treasured invention. They’d grab a late lunch or an early dinner. It took everything in her not to gush upon seeing Ouma place food in his mouth again, but he quietly thanked her for not making a scene. He was getting his strength back, little by little, although his body stayed thin and his muscles remained limp.

K1-B0 urged him to return to work. Ouma refused. He ignored the hundreds of emails in his inbox and the unopened mail in his box. He wasn’t ready to face his subordinates and weather their condolences. Perhaps he never would be.

At night, there was an uneasy peace. K1-B0 would wait for Ouma to initiate any physical contact. They’d go many nights without so much as a brush against the hand, then suddenly Ouma would cling his arms around the robot’s waist and keep them there until he awakened in the morning. K1-B0 didn’t mind either way. He wanted Ouma to come to him, in whatever form that took. Even if it meant waiting forever.

Eventually, they found their compromise. Ouma wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t hopeless either. 

Things were okay.

Until one day Ouma decided to take K1-B0 to the cliffside.

  
  


_ ~~~ _

  
  


“Kichi-kun… why did you bring me here?”

The two of them stood facing one another at the edge of the bluff. Ouma with his back to the sea, and K1-B0 facing him directly. 

“K1-B0. You’ve done so much for me since Iruma brought you here.”

The robot stared at him, unwavering as he spoke.

“It’s… it’s not easy for me to say this. But, thanks.”

K1-B0 smiled warmly as he nodded.

“You’re welcome, Ouma. I do everything because I…” he paused suddenly, carefully considered his next words. “...because I care about you.”

Ouma clenched his fists. He bit his bottom lip as he looked down. K1-B0 noticed his eyes were wet.

“I need you to do one last thing for me.”

“Anything. What is it?”

Ouma suddenly flung both arms out and smiled a demented grin that shook the robot down to his core.

“Kill me, Astro Boy. Push me off this cliff as hard as you can and walk away.”

K1-B0 looked upon him in horror. Despite the former leader’s sparkling smile, there was no trace of joy in his expression. He radiated misery and woe, his grief bursting through the facade he had witnessed far too many times.

“What… ? No, no, I couldn’t possibly-”

“Stop being such a goddamn wimp!” Ouma snapped, his entire body shaking as he lamented. “You’re a robot for Christ’s sake. You don’t have real feelings or emotions, it’s all just a part of your AI! Just shut off whatever program is making you feel things and fucking  _ kill me _ !”

The robot remained calm on the surface, but even his vocal program faltered as he spoke his next words.

“Why do you want me to kill you? You were doing so well, your mood was improving and you were committed to changing your unhealthy habits. Why do you want this, Ouma?”

Tears leaked from the former leader’s eyes and waterfalled down his round cheeks. He barely managed to speak through the sobs bubbling in his throat.

“Because I’m tired! I’m tired of waking up every day missing him! I’m tired of going through this life without the man I love.”

His words fell clumsily from his lips, shattering his companion with every syllable spoken.

“I tried… I tried to do it myself… so many times… but I couldn’t even do suicide right. I can’t do anything without him.”

He looked at K1-B0 again, his mouth twisting and contorting as he tried to smile through his tears.

“If you kill me… then at least I can say I died in a cool way. Killed by a cyborg. I’ll be the talk of town in heaven. Iida would be so-”

The sound of metal clanking stopped him mid ramble. He focused on the sight before him and felt his heart grow heavy with despair and regret.

K1-B0 had fallen to his knees. In the artificial light of eyes was an ocean of melancholy. Looking into the swirling pools of sadness made Ouma’s heart shatter for the second time in his life.

“Kichi-kun… please don’t… I… I couldn’t go on without you… please…”

Iida. He sounded just like Iida. 

Ouma dropped the minstrel act, shedding off the fake persona like a costume that was much too big. He put one foot in front of the other, his pace quickening until he was close enough to fall and wrap his arms around the inconsolable robot.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

To his shock, he felt K1-B0 shuddering in his arms. Weeping with the same despondency as a human. He held him closer, pressing his lips against the white blonde hair, apologizing over and over and over until the words began to fade like the memory of his lost love.

“I pushed you away because you were so much like him. And I couldn’t bear losing him twice. Please… you can be Iida if you want. Please. I need you to be.”

He held him in his arms until K1-B0 stopped shaking. They laid there until moments no longer mattered, and soon the robot whimpered three little words that brought Ouma’s aching heart back to life.

“I love you, Kichi-kun.”

Ouma smiled into him. This time, it was real.

“I love you too… Iida.”


End file.
